The outdoor observation deck at the KC City Hall will give you a new perspective of this great American city.
Located on the 30th floor the outdoor observation deck at City Hall gives you a rare opportunity to see Kansas City from over 435 feet above the street, At the time the building was constructed in 1937, it was the tallest building in the state and was one of the highest observation decks outside of New York and Chicago. Even today the building is still the fourth tallest city hall in the world.
The building was designed in the art deco style that was popular in the 1930s. The building interior is also nice with a lot of brass fixtures and panoramic friezes.The concourse area is certainly eclectic with a statue of Lincoln, Art-deco Pegasus fountains and Chinese temple dragons guarding the entry doors.
As hot as it was I wanted to go jump in the fountain, but sadly it probably would have meant I would have gotten to visit the building across the street, the county jail.
Getting to the observation deck is free, but you’ll need to present identification and go through a metal detector. But the City Hall security people are very friendly. Once you clear security you take the elevator to the 29th floor and you’ll need to take the stairs to the observation deck. The security guard will open the door for you and then wait while you stroll and/or take some pictures. The lady who helped me was super nice and when I told her I was doing this for my blog, she asked for the name and said she would look it up. So, Hi security lady. I am so sorry I forgot to get a name and a picture of her. She said that hardly anyone comes up to the deck and when they do they are almost always visitors from out of town. So any readers from KC you should really check this out. It’s free and the views are great.
Looking North. The new Federal Courthouse building behind that and to the left is the City Market and behind that the Missouri River.Looking Northwest. The twin pointed building is the Old Federal Reserve Building which is now Apartments. The flat area in the right-hand corner is the downtown airport.Looking slightly more West. The place where the river bends is Kaw Point, where the Kansas (Kaw) River meets the Missouri River, It is this point where the Missouri river ceases to run East-West and runs North-South, The buildings in the upper left side are Kansas City, Kansas.Looking true west. The tallest building is One Kansas City place and is the tallest building in the city (and state). It is 654 feet tall and has 42 stories. The building to the right is the Town Pavilion Building which is 591 feet tall, The pointy building on the left is the KC Power and light building which was built in the 1930s and was the city’s tallest building for almost 50 years.Close-up of One Kansas City Place and the Town Pavilion. I think my friend CV works in the building on right, but I don’t see her. Perhaps it’s her day off.Looking Southwest. The circular building is the Sprint Center that has concerts and special events. Directly right of the Sprint Center is the Power and Light District. This is an entertainment district with Bars, restaurants, and theaters.Looking South. The building on the left is the Hyatt Hotel which has 40 floors and is the tallest building not in the downtown area. On the right side is Crown Center (which host Irish Fest this Labor Day Weekend) and the Liberty Memorial.Looking Down. Alright, enough of this picture. Let’s move on.Looking Northeast at the recently built Bond Bridge.And of course, the requisite selfie picture.
The observation deck is open 9am-330pm Monday-Friday and is free. I rarely come up here. ( I have only been twice and the last time was over twenty years ago. The views as you can see are very nice and there’s something about being out of doors which makes it even better. How often do you get to be this high in Kansas City? Wait, maybe don’t answer that.
Love me some Kansas City! Thanks for the post!
You’re welcome. Glad you liked it
Great post